Subject:

Abstract:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been documented to be
effective in treating depression in adolescence, but there is great
variability in the clinical outcome of CBT trials. This may in part
be due to variations in content and emphasis on different CBT
components. Moreover, little is known about adolescents'
subjective experiences of CBT interventions, which also might be
related to outcome. In this qualitative study, nine adolescents
were interviewed about their experiences of the specific
components in a CBT group intervention. As positive and
negative consequences of the group format seldom are explicitly
considered in CBT group interventions, it was also explored how
the adolescents experienced the group aspect. The results
showed that the adolescents experienced the cognitive
component of the course as most useful, but somewhat difficult
to use. Psycho-education, behavioral activation and the social
relationships component were also experienced as beneficial.
The experiences regarding the relaxation-training and the
homework-assignments were mixed. Negative aspects of the
intervention included the experience of guilt related to being
depressed. The group aspect was generally considered as an
advantage, and most of the adolescents expressed a preference
for the group format over an individual approach.